Even before Fred Thompson made an overt gesture that he'll run for president, he was doing well in the polls, but now he must sprint to stay in the Republican top-tier and perform well in a crucial summer test.
The Washington Post's Michael Shear and Dan Balz report that GOP strategists caution that Thompson will "need a more refined message and an error-free start to live up to the publicity surrounding his all-but-certain candidacy." Tomorrow a committee will start to raise money for Thompson and in the next few weeks the campaign will launch a Web site, select a campaign headquarters and dust-off his iconic red pickup truck the former Tennessee senator used in his first, highly-successful campaign. This weekend Thompson will be speaking in Virginia and then on Jay Leno in June.
"But his celebrity and relatively late start in the contest mean that Thompson will face immediate challenges that a less-celebrated candidate might not," Shear and Balz write. "Questions about his viability would arise if there should be anything less than strong performances in his first debates, in his ability to raise funds quickly, or in rapidly assembling organizations in states with early contests next year."
One such challenge will likely be the Ames, Iowa, straw poll on Aug. 11, about a month after Thompson plans to formally announce in early July, reports The Politico's Jonathan Martin. The Iowa GOP's executive director predicted Thompson will be on the ballot at the same time some Thompson advisers are urging him not to participate. The Ames poll will be the first major test of Republicans' support in that key primary state and has a history of thinning the GOP field.
Even sooner will be the June 5 GOP debate that Thompson will be eligible to participate in after he makes his FEC filing the day before, reports the New Hampshire Union Leader's Tom Fahey.
Thompson's real potential may be felt among the majority of President Bush's Florida fundraisers, who are "sitting on the sidelines" of the presidential race so far, reports the St. Petersburg Times' Adam Smith. Thompson has created buzz among conservatives who are unenthusiastic about the current field, which is one possible reason the Bush donors aren't giving yet. Next door in South Carolina, two lawmakers said they would back Thompson yesterday.
Meanwhile, Mitt Romney said Democrats are wrong to advocate a single, federal system for health care and that states should experiment with reforms, reports Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson. As governor of Massachusetts Romney signed a health care reform law that requires residents to get health insurance and requires businesses to provide health care coverage or pay a fine. Romney said what was needed was a market-based approach to health care rather than "government-mandated, government-run, government insurance." Rudy Giuliani called Hillary Clinton's plan to reverse the Bush tax cuts to help pay for health care and other programs, "an astounding, staggering tax increase."
The Wall Street Journal's Jackie Calmes reports the Congressional Budget Office has indicated it "could not credit" potential savings from technology that are included in the Democratic health care plans because, while the savings are likely real, they're ambiguous and would take years to realize.
Get these and today's other elections stories at RCP's Politics and Elections page.
